Dealing with marketing types...

[EP]

flyingfred0 wrote:

> A small software team (developers, leads and even the manager when he's 
> had time) has been using (wx)Python/PostgreSQL for over 2 years and 
> developed a successful 1.0 release of a client/server product.
> 
> A marketing/product manager has brought in additional management and 
> "architecture" experts to propose moving the entire thing to a Java 
> (application server) platform for the next release.  They want a 
> "scalable, enterprise solution" (though they don't really know what 
> that means) and are going crazy throwing around the Java buzzwords (not to 
> mention XML).


Marketing needs a compelling story to tell the customer: why _this_ technology?  Java and XML are cheap buzz words to throw around (but not too much buzz left anymore!)  What they need is a story, not a bunch of buzz words, but that story needs to fit into the customers' world view, it needs to mean something to the customer.

It's possible that Python/PostgreSQL is a technology combination that represents a winning story, at least in the right marketplaces.  Possibly the development team is more technically savvy than the marketers ;-), so try to gently help them understand why the Python/PostgreSQL story is strong.

Faster incremental development of releases ("Customer, no long waits for the new features you want like you have with Java apps.  Ou development is fast and agile like your requirements!") might be the kind of perspective that helps your cause.  Give the marketing guys "stories" about why the current product implementation is good from a marketing perspective - how (wx)Python/PostgreSQL will make the product unique and noticeable and easier to sell than another Java/XML client server app.

I think that's about the best you can do.

good luck!


Eric
(Psuedo-marketing-type)